Chapter 54 Stay-at-home Dad 54

Chapter 54: Stay-at-Home Dad 54

Stay-at-Home Dad 54

Over the next few days, Fang Zhixu and Lu Yanli showed up at the tech department at nine sharp every morning.

The two were interns after all, and being conservation majors, their main job was to follow the progress of the tracker project. The rest of the time, they helped the tech team draft documentation—writing code and updating data was way out of their wheelhouse.

So they ended up being Qiao Yu's gofers, like his little errand boys.

But nobody in the office had the guts to treat Lu Yanli like an errand boy, so they only pushed Fang Zhixu around.

"Xiao Fang, can you run these files to the copy room next door? Double-sided, don't screw it up."

"You got it." Fang Zhixu grabbed the files and headed next door.

"Xiao Fang, can you log the tracker test data?" A colleague dropped a stack of handwritten records on Fang Zhixu's desk.

Fang Zhixu took them, fired up his computer, and started typing away. Half an hour later, he tidied up the spreadsheet and sent it back.

"Zhixu, there's a bunch of old equipment in the warehouse. Can you do a count, make a stock list, and update the digital copy?"

"Mm-hmm!" Fang Zhixu grabbed a notebook and pen, squatted in the warehouse for half an hour, checking model numbers on dusty old devices one by one, then came back and emailed over a digital spreadsheet.

"Xiao Fang, the meeting room is booked. Can you go set up the projector? The connector keeps wiggling loose."

Fang Zhixu poked his head out: "Oh, sure." He went to tinker with it for five minutes, re-plugged the cables, confirmed the display was working, and came back out.

All day, Fang Zhixu was like a little spinning top, buzzing here and there.

By evening, as coworkers filtered out of the office, he was already slumped in his chair, wiped out.

After a quick breather, Fang Zhixu turned to Lu Yanli and saw him staring. "What's up?"

"Why don't you tell them no when they boss you around like that?" Lu Yanli asked with a frown. He'd held his tongue until now, and he was at his limit. Those people didn't dare order him around because they knew who he was, but they had no clue Fang Zhixu was his man.

And he couldn't figure out why Fang Zhixu wouldn't just say no.

Even he would brush people off, yet Fang Zhixu took on all this petty busywork.

"Why would I refuse them?" Fang Zhixu picked up on the sharpness in Lu Yanli's tone. Seeing the office was empty, he wheeled his chair closer, reached up to stroke his neck, and soothed, "I have a purpose."

"What purpose?"

Fang Zhixu leaned close to Lu Yanli's ear, curving his hand into a little megaphone against his lips: "You see me running around, but really I can peek at their computers as I walk by—especially Qiao Yu's."

"And what did you see?" Lu Yanli glanced sideways.

Fang Zhixu quickly scanned the room, then leaned in again, lowering his voice: "I do know my way around computers a little. No matter how sneaky the tracker system is, deep down it's just code. I can't write code at that level, but I can get the gist of the logic. Where data gets sent, who's got access—one look is enough to tell if something's fishy."

"Including what data got deleted."

Lu Yanli stared at the face so close to his, his throat bobbing, but he snapped back in a second: "What do you need from me?"

"I'm guessing Uncle Lu and Su Yancheng can't just do this themselves, or maybe they genuinely don't know. The Lusu Group is massive—digging into this would mean shaking up a ton of people. Otherwise, why would they send us in here?" Fang Zhixu's round eyes turned serious: "The trackers we took off Xiaohui and the others—whether they're from the same source as Huairui Tech's system—recovering the data will tell us."

"So you want the access?"

Fang Zhixu nodded. "I can investigate."

"You're not scared at all?" Lu Yanli knew exactly why his dad had sent them in. There was a mole inside the company. If they poked around openly, it would scare the snake out of hiding, so they sent the two of them in.

They were bait, and a trial run.

There was still some danger.

"What's there to be scared of?" Fang Zhixu gave Lu Yanli's arm a squeeze. "You're here with me, right?"

Lu Yanli looked at him without speaking.

Fang Zhixu's face flushed under the stare. "...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is this for the reserve, or for me?" Lu Yanli asked.

Fang Zhixu hadn't seen that question coming. His fingers started picking at his arm without thinking, and he went quiet for a long beat.

"Xiao Zhi." Lu Yanli called his name.

Fang Zhixu blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"You're picking at my arm, not yours."

Only then did Fang Zhixu realize he'd scratched Lu Yanli's arm until it was raw. Flustered, he quickly rubbed it. "...I—I thought I was picking at my own arm. Sorry, does it hurt?"

Lu Yanli sighed, not pressing him further. "Good thing it was my arm—if you'd done that to your own, wouldn't that hurt? I'll take care of the access. You hungry?"

"A little hungry." Fang Zhixu held his arm, eyes down. "It doesn't hurt?"

"It'll be fine in a bit." Lu Yanli stood up and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go pick up Xiaohui."

Fang Zhixu's eyes went wide. "Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah." Lu Yanli mimicked his surprised tone with a laugh.

Fang Zhixu shot him a dirty look.

A bit later, the car pulled into the lot and headed toward the Snow Wolf Research Center.

Principal Su walked Xiaohui down himself.

"Big bro!"

Xiaohui spotted Fang Zhixu from way off and waved like crazy, then sprinted over and launched himself into his arms, tilting his little face up: "Big bro~"

Fang Zhixu bent down to hug Xiaohui and messed up his hair. "How was today? What'd you learn?" Then he looked at Principal Su: "Su Yuan, was Xiaohui a good boy today?"

"Of course I was!" Xiaohui puffed out his chest, waving his hands around excitedly: "Today I learned Chinese characters—I memorized 'em and can write 'em all. I also recognized places I could remember from before. Principal Su said he's never seen a snow wolf as smart as me, and said I'm gonna do big things since I survived!"

Principal Su nodded. "That's right. Xiaohui helped the data team folks point out places he'd been on the map. Luokun Mountain was just the last stop they moved him to."

Fang Zhixu was taken aback. "Didn't Xiaohui say he was in the lab the whole time?"

"He was shuffled between a few different labs. Based on what we know now, we think Xiaohui was moved from a coastal city down south. Which exact city still needs more digging, because the buildings Xiaohui described match a few coastal cities—they're pretty similar."

Xiaohui nodded seriously. "Every time I left the lab, I made sure to remember what was around me."

"That's awesome." Fang Zhixu smiled too. He fished a lollipop out of his pocket and handed it to Xiaohui. "Reward for you."

Xiaohui took the lollipop, bent his head to sniff it first, catching the sweet smell: "What's this?"

“A lollipop.”

“What’s a lollipop?”

Fang Zhixu unwrapped the candy for Xiaohui and handed it to him. “Try it.”

Xiaohui had never tasted anything like it. His emerald eyes lit up instantly. “Wow! So sweet!”

Principal Su watched the scene and asked his son quietly, “How have things been lately?”

“He asked me for access and discovered that Qiao Yu might have deleted data from the locator.”

Principal Su hummed in acknowledgment. “I heard from your father earlier that Yan Cheng has already arranged people to look into it, but it can’t be too obvious. What does Xiao Zhi need the access for?”

“He wants to try to recover the data.” Lu Yanli watched Fang Zhixu crouch in front of Xiaohui, helping him straighten his clothes. The tenderness in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Principal Su noticed his son’s gaze and asked with a smile, “So, besides that, how are you two doing?”

“He’s afraid of having children. Setting that aside, I can feel that he probably likes me.” Lu Yanli said, “I can wait. I’m just worried his body can’t.”

“But you can’t scare Xiao Zhi either.” Principal Su patted his son’s back encouragingly. “Whatever you do, I support you.”

“Help look after Xiaohui when necessary.” Lu Yanli said.

Principal Su chuckled. “Deal.”

Fang Zhixu finished tidying Xiaohui’s clothes and stood up. He saw Lu Yanli and Principal Su chatting, so he wasn’t in a hurry. He just held Xiaohui’s hand and waited for them.

Just then, Lu Yanli looked over.

He immediately broke into a smile. “Done chatting?”

Lu Yanli’s gaze softened, amused by how Fang Zhixu looked like a dutiful little spouse. “Done. Let’s go.”

“Brother, what are we eating tonight?”

“Whatever your brother-in-law arranges, we eat.”

“Oh, brother-in-law, so what are we eating?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“I’ll eat anything.”

Lu Yanli looked down at Xiaohui, who had come to hold his hand. Seeing his innocent expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. His peripheral vision caught Fang Zhixu’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

Fang Zhixu snapped back from that handsome face and pretended nothing was wrong, looking away. “Nothing.”

Night fell.

A small desk had been added beside the big desk in the living room. Xiaohui sat upright, continuing to practice picking up beans with chopsticks.

Fang Zhixu sat beside Xiaohui, propping his head on his hand to supervise his posture, but his gaze kept drifting toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, a tall man in a black apron was busy at the cooking station. His broad shoulders moved slightly as the hand holding the knife worked his arm. The rhythmic chopping sound was crisp and efficient.

He managed to run three burners at once and even found time to shape over thirty bite-sized pig-shaped rice balls.

In just forty minutes, he’d made a table full of delicious home-style dishes.

“Time to eat.” Lu Yanli walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate.

Xiaohui immediately stood up upon hearing this and hobbled into the kitchen, raising his arms. “I’ll help!”

Fang Zhixu was about to follow him in too.

Lu Yanli held the pig rice balls in one hand and hooked the other arm around Fang Zhixu’s shoulder, pulling him back. “Fang Zhixu is strictly forbidden from entering the kitchen.”

Fang Zhixu: “Why??”

“What do you need to be in the kitchen for?” Lu Yanli set the pig rice balls on the dining table, pressed Fang Zhixu down into a seat by the shoulders, and ruffled his hair as he turned away.

Fang Zhixu sat at the table, his gaze involuntarily following Lu Yanli back into the kitchen, watching in a daze.

Compared to a year ago, Lu Yanli was like a completely different person.

Now he was like a fully capable husband. There was nothing he couldn’t do. What’s more, they hadn’t spent a single day apart since leaving the reserve. This constant companionship had long surpassed mere habit.

Habit of the titles. Habit of the embraces.

Even habit of the occasional intimacy.

What about everything else?

At nearly eleven o’clock, Xiaohui fell asleep reading his picture book.

Fang Zhixu tucked him in before leaving the room, but when he walked out, he didn’t see Lu Yanli. “Strange, wasn’t he just here? He said he’d wait for me?”

He headed toward the master bedroom, calling out as he entered. No one answered. He went further in and found no one there either, so he walked to the study.

He found the study door closed.

Fang Zhixu stood before the study door, looking puzzled. They rarely used this room. The desk was in the living room, and the study only had a few walls of bookshelves and a rug, nothing else.

“Yanli?” He knocked gently. “Are you in there?”

After a moment, a hoarse reply came from inside. “Mm, I’m here. You go to sleep first.”

Fang Zhixu put his hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when he realized the door was locked.

He froze for a moment. Locked? What was Lu Yanli locking the door for?

He stood there for a while before finally answering. “Oh.”

With that, he walked back to the bedroom with doubts, but after two steps he couldn’t help glancing back. What was Lu Yanli doing in there?

The study had no lights on, and the heavy curtains were drawn tight, sealing out every crack of light.

His tall frame was curled up hard in the corner of the room. Broad back arched, long legs pulled tightly against his chest, face buried deep in the clothes in his hands, greedily inhaling the scent of the one he loved.

“……”

Ragged, suppressed breaths leaked from his throat in broken gasps. Uncontrollable tremors spread along his spine. His broad palms clenched the fabric in front of him, knuckles turning white, shoulders shaking faintly.

Lu Yanli took a deep breath, suddenly tilting his head back against the wall behind him. The restless heat surging through his body pulled at his nerves, urgently urging him to do something.

He clutched the clothes tightly, pressed them against himself, but nothing worked.

Come autumn, his heat period hit with full force, without warning.

This was all he could do now—he couldn't scare Fang Zhixu like he had before. As long as Fang Zhixu didn't allow it, he couldn't touch him.

"...Xiao Zhi."

His tall, imposing frame seemed to cave in on itself.

With a click, the study door swung open.

Lu Yanli froze mid-motion, staring in shock at the doorway.

Light from outside the study spilled into the room.

Fang Zhixu saw that massive frame hunched in the narrow shadow, clutching his clothes, which were already crumpled into a ball, the corners of his eyes red as he looked over—making his powerful exterior seem utterly pathetic and helpless.

"Yanli."

He stepped inside, catching the strange scent in the air and guessing what Lu Yanli had been up to, then crouched down in front of him.

"Why did you come in?" Lu Yanli's voice was hoarse as he turned away, trying to hide his shame, only to be wrapped up from behind by a soft body. The moment he was covered, he shuddered.

Fang Zhixu knelt behind Lu Yanli, his chest pressing slowly against him, but Lu Yanli was too big—his arms couldn't reach all the way around, so he just looped them around his neck.

He soothed the trembling body in his arms, not minding the hot sweat soaking through the fabric, and rested his chin gently on his shoulder: "If your heat cycle is that bad, why hide it from me? Last time, didn't you come find me?"

Warm breath ghosted over his ear, more tormenting than any fantasy.

The heat Lu Yanli had barely kept down started stirring again. He let out a deep breath. "Stop it. Get out."

The moment he finished speaking, a slender, pale hand appeared in front of him.

"I'll help you."

Fang Zhixu shifted from his knees to face Lu Yanli, holding out his hand and giving it a little shake. "Want it?"

Lu Yanli's eyes darkened. He took that pale hand, gave a slight tug, and pulled the man into his arms, settling him on his lap.

"?!"

Fang Zhixu was caught off guard, yanked into the embrace, his eyes flying wide as he stared at Lu Yanli.

"What if I don't just want your hand?"

Lu Yanli wrapped his arms completely around him, resting his chin on his shoulder, his warm breath brushing against his ear. He lowered his head, his voice dropping low and slow. "Is that okay?"